Can I cover my parents on my health insurance plan? Consumer Q&A

It’s easy to be an ungrateful brat when you’re a teenager. But at a certain age – often when we’ve had children of our own – we come to realize how much we owe our parents. And not only for the big sentimental things like love, a sense of right and wrong, and moral support. But for the particular, tangible so-called “little” things too, from food and clothes to our first bicycle and (dare I say it?) health insurance.

Recently on Yahoo Answers we took a question from a fellow who must be The World’s Best Son. He’s in the market for a new job, interviewing, considering offers and reviewing their benefits packages – and what’s on his mind? His parents. He knows that parents can cover children as dependents on their employer-based health plans, but he wants to know: Can I cover my parents on my health insurance too?

You want to give him a round of applause just for asking. Sometimes, however, the correct answer isn’t the one you’d prefer to give. Here’s the eHealthInsurance reply (voted Best Answer):

No, I’m afraid not. Not unless by some chance they were under age 65, medically or mentally incapacitated, ineligible for Medicaid, and you were their legal guardian.

Depending on the kind of company you’re going to work for, there is one VERY SLIM chance, however. If you’re working for a very large company that funds its own health insurance plan, they may have more freedom to do this sort of thing. So, you can ask, but don’t expect a positive reply. It’s exceedingly unlikely this would be allowed.

About Douglas Dalrymple

Doug Dalrymple
is a member of the communications team at eHealth, Inc. and has worked in the health insurance and technology industries for fifteen years. He works on communications strategy, content creation and management, project management, and corporate messaging.

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